"I LOVE EBAN!!!"

Uncle Steve came in for a brief visit and the boys ate up his time. The boys loved how animated Uncle Steve is while reading books. While reading Where the Wild Things Are, he would roll his eyes and gnash his teeth and scrap at the boys during that one section of the book. Eban would giggle so hard and want him to read it all over again. Each day, Uncle Steve spent it with one of the boys while the other one went to day care. Lucky for Uncle Steve, he came at a time when Eban needed about six shots from the doctor. So I happily chose to work that day and let him handle the agony of getting a toddler shots at the doctor’s office. I’m a nice sister, huh? Uncle Steve was a trooper while Eban was screaming at the nurses that he “hated the ladies” for hurting him. I guess he asked Steve why he held him down, but he quickly forgot about it and went to lunch at Chili’s after the trauma of multiple shots. They ate chips and salsa and split a chicken Caesar salad while sitting across from one another in a booth like big boys. I wish I could have been there to take a photo, but the story was good enough for me! Really…what three-year old digs Caesar salads?? Eban’s palate is impressive.

We took the boys to the zoo for an outing one day too. They loved running from place to place seeing the animals. They still love the little choo-choo train and the carousel which we all had to ride. We finally celebrated Jackson’s birthday party at a place called Pump It Up in Broomfield, Colorado. It’s a warehouse filled with inflatable jump castles and activities for all kids (and adults alike)! The boys loved it. Jack enjoyed riding the little car provided for little tykes but all the others bounced their socks off for one and a half hours!There were no injuries or major meltdowns - - Just sweaty little bodies all over the place. Cake and snack time was amazing as all the kids sat and patiently wait for cake and snacks after we sang Happy Birthday to Jack. I guess they were all tuckered out that they didn’t have the energy to argue. I couldn’t believe how quiet the cake room was after hours of bouncing and running around. I’m going to do this again as it was so easy! Jack was so nice and shared almost all of his toys including Cars paraphernalia. A colleague of mine got them a Cars tent in the shape of Mac Truck and they wanted to sleep in it together. After a couple of elbows, that ended with both of them retreating to their own beds, but they still love playing in the tent together. SO sweet! Another fun tidbit was on one of Uncle Steve’s last days with the boys, I told Jack that I loved him. He looked at me and angrily told me, “I LOVE EB - - ANNNNNNNNN!” So I tried it again. “I love you Jack Jack.” He stammered out in an angry tone again, “I LOVE EBAN!” Finally, I tried again. And he questioned me by saying, “I love mama?” in the sweetest tone. I wish I got it on video but it’s so sweet to hear him get angry and say that he loves Eban over anything else. I got it on video another day, Enjoy it below!

"I love Eban"


Happy Birthday to Jackson (2 years old)- Blurry, but you get it


Sharing Cheetos

Eban's Black Eye

In October, I spent two days up in Estes Park, Colorado, for the Colorado State Service Conference for AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and others in service-related fields. The elk were out in full swing so that was neat to hear them bugle and see them interact.

There were over 500 people in attendance and it was impressive to see them also participate in a service activity as they created a new path from one part of the YMCA to the other. The attendees were very enthusiastic and I hope they garnered a lot of new skills and new contacts thanks to the service conference.

Eban got his first black eye. The pictures don’t do it justice as the following days created a beautiful mix of purple and blue hues around his little eye. Some little tot at the zoo ran into him when Quincy took the boys there. Jack wanted me to take pictures of him too at the time so here’s his messy little grin!

I ended the softball season this year. My team for fall ball was interesting as four members had hearing impairments. I wish I knew more sign language besides the alphabet and baby sign language. It certainly was a new experience for me as yelling in encouragement for the team didn’t quite work or yelling at the team that the play is at second didn’t work either. We didn’t fare too well this season, but I did have fun and attempted to learn sign language for softball.

Elk from my YMCA room - - too bad the airplane was flying by

Lighten Up!

As Tutu’s visit dwindled down, we celebrated Jack’s second birthday with a small dinner and some homemade cupcakes that Tutu somehow managed to put together without cake mix. Yes, I work at Johnson & Wales and it’s beyond me how to make a homemade cake without a mix from the store. One of these days, I’ll learn from the chefs or the students - - Maybe.

Jack opened up presents but was so sweet and asked if Eban would help him. Eban loved the responsibility and was very happy to oblige! He took his time opening up each present and didn’t want to tear the paper. It was a perfect time to exude patience!
Jack loved his Cars cars, his Cars racing outfit, his Transformer shoes which light up and others! Eban even got a gift from Tutu and it was a guitar shirt which he thought was super cool. Other highlights of the visit included Eban telling me to, “LIGHTEN UP!” I can’t remember what I was saying but evidently it made him say that. I may have been telling him about keeping the toilet seat down…I remember telling him something from the bathroom and he yelled that back at me. It was humorous and I have trouble not laughing out loud when things like that happen. I swear that humor helps any situation…I just wish I had the comedic timing and the wit my kid has. He likes to finish sentences with the word ‘funny’ too. Just think about it - - just start talking and then finish the sentence with the word funny.

Jack is finishing sentences with the word remember or member – short for the word. He’ll say, “It’s dark out, remember.” Maybe he means, you know? We just agree with him and reiterate that it is, indeed, dark out.

Tutu and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch where the kids loved doing the hay maze. They had bales of hay stacked up and the kids could run in there and get lost and try to get out. They loved it more than seeing the farm animals or the pumpkins. They kept running back into the maze and it was a great way to expend some energy! I ran out of batteries so my camera died before I could get any cute pictures. So the ones that I took will have to do.

And of course, the day before Tutu leaves the bad weather arrived. As the kids woke up and looked outside, Eban exclaimed, “MAMA! It’s Christmas!” I had to explain that it wasn’t Christmas but it was the first beautiful snowfall of the season. It’s cute that he equates snow with Christmas.







Ryan showcasing how patient he is (ha!)


Eban in the hay maze - I guess Jack didn't make this one?

Walker Ranch in Boulder

On another weekend in October, Ryan and I took the boys to Walker Ranch, a historic homestead in the foothills due west of Boulder.

This is from the Boulder County Web site: "Walker Ranch offers a rich mosaic of mountain habitats to explore in any season. Ponderosa pines and Douglas firs are interspersed with open meadows and aspen groves. Small streams dissect the hills before joining South Boulder Creek. You will find a great diversity of plants, animals and birds. Coyote, deer, black bear, mountain lion and wild turkey frequent the area and elk migrate here from higher elevations in the winter.
Walker Ranch is also an important historical site and hosts special events of historical interest every season.

The historic Walker Ranch was one of the largest cattle ranches in this region of Colorado. In 1882, James and Phoebe Walker filed a claim to homestead 160 acres of open meadow with a year-round spring. Designed for a self-sufficient lifestyle, the homestead was complete with farmhouse, root cellar, granary, smokehouse,
springhouse, chicken and turkey houses, a wagon barn, a corn storage and pig barn, and various corrals and fenced pastures. This homestead is now the focal point of the park's designated historic district. We are restoring the buildings, dating back to the late-19th century. The homestead is closed to the public except for special events.

The Walker family continuously expanded the ranch. It included 6,000 acres when it was sold in 1959. The County began to purchase the land in 1976. We now own 2,566 acres and lease an additional 1,212 acres from the Bureau of Land Management. This open space property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places."

We attended their special event opening a new structure they reconstructed after the 2000 fire. They also had a ton of volunteers acting as individuals on the farm from the early 1900s. It was neat as the boys were able to see someone blacksmithing iron (if that's the appropriate term?), saw work horses plow a field, helped ladies churn butter and try the butter with bread.

Eban wanted to emulate the roping of a calf so a young teen helped teach him how to do it. Jack didn't want to try as he liked walking around and seeing things.


I also think they loved the crab apples they found on the farm. Eban eventually gave his to a horse that was greeting visitors. It was a great day which was topped off with pizza in Boulder! The boys even had root beer which was a real treat!